One of the hardest parts of being a new vegan (or even an old seasoned vegan) is trying to keep up with all the new products out there. I must have spent over $50 looking for the "right" vegan cheese my first year being a vegan and I have over 50 vegan/vegetarian cookbooks in my arsenal but not all the recipes are the greatest. I’m the first born so I’m used to being a Guinea Pig and now I’m your Vegan Guinea Pig. So here are my recommendations and critiques. Let me know what you think!

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Thursday, April 3, 2008

The Breakfast Burrito from Hell

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. When it comes to Amy’s Kitchen line of vegan food fare sometimes they are fantabulous (yes, that’s a word…cause I say so!) and sometimes they are inedible. Amy’s Organic Beans & Rice Burritos were fantabulous. Amy’s Breakfast Burrito, inedible.

I had such high hopes for this burrito, especially since I am already deeply in love with the beans and rice burritos. Aside from the addition of potatoes and soy the ingredient list looked pretty much the same. The breakfast burrito is still low in calories (250) and has the same amount of fiber and protein that my beloved beans & rice burrito does. I just can’t understand what went so terribly wrong.

I couldn’t have tasted these burrito disasters at a worse time. I was running late to my 9am Saturday Chemistry class. I had no time to whip up a smoothie or brew any green tea. I had just enough time to throw Amy’s breakfast burrito into the microwave for 2 minutes and run out the door. Halfway to my destination I decided to bite into what I knew would be my tasty breakfast. I can’t tell you how fast I spit it out. I almost rolled down my window and threw it out, but I didn’t want to subject the poor birds to this awful concoction.

Read this very carefully…steer clear of Amy’s Kitchen Breakfast Burrito. I only say this for your own protection. Even if they are on sale 10 for $1, just avert your eyes and run in the opposite direction. Usually when it comes to bad Mexican food a little salsa will perk up the dish and at least make it edible. Unfortunately, no amount of salsa exists to cover up the awful taste of this burrito. Do you remember the sand and paper mache combo I talked about in my last blog? Just add big chunks of potatoes to that and you have Amy’s Kitchen Breakfast Burritos. So if you like paper mache, sand and potatoes this is probably the breakfast burrito for you. If, like me, you like your food to actually taste like food just have a beans and rice burrito for breakfast and call it a day. At this point, I just need to figure out what to do with the extra breakfast burrito I have sitting in my freezer (yep, I was so sure it would taste good I bought 2! Agh!)

Ok Ok Ok! I'll try them in the oven. But really, who has 50 minutes to cook these things in the oven? I can make and eat a real breakfast in that time. But since I have an extra one sitting in the freezer that will just go to waste I'll try it one morning when I have an extra 50 minutes to spare. I'll let you know how it goes!

I don't have time to cook them in the oven in the morning either. Here's what I do and they turn out pretty good: Wrap them in a damp paper towel and flip halfway through the cooking time (as it says on the label). After taking it from the microwave, wrap it in aluminum foil, or something similar, wrap it in a dry paper towel, and let it sit for few minutes. I usually make it before I get dressed, then grab it as I'm walking out the door. I'm kind of uncoordinated, so I don't attempt to eat it while driving, but rather when I make it to my office. This may be something to try with the leftover one. They're pretty much my favorite on-the-go breakfast.